WNA

Ruckus Wireless today announced the expansion of its partnership with the City of San José with the extension of their Wi-Fi network throughout Mineta San José International Airport (SJC) and the San José McEnery Convention Center.

These two new extensions of the network provide visitors with a single, reliable, free, high-performance public Wi-Fi network throughout heavily trafficked indoor and outdoor public areas of San José.

The Wi-Fi upgrade at the Airport incorporate 58 Ruckus ZoneFlex Smart Wi-Fi access points that extend the range and speed. Ruckus claims up to a four-fold increase in speed, and twice the coverage of the old system. Gigabit fiber connections supply the facility and advertisements have been eliminated over the free Wi-Fi service.

At the Convention Center, over 225 high capacity have been deployed, incorporating the company’s patented BeamFlex™ technology to increase range and performance.

“As the Capital of Silicon Valley, we are pleased to expand our Wickedly Fast Wi-Fi network to our airport and newly-renovated convention center,” Mayor Chuck Reed said. “These two facilities are key drivers of economic activity, and equipping them with the most advanced wireless technologies available will greatly aid their ongoing efforts to attract new business.

Hotspot 2.0 is a new set of protocols to enable cellular-like roaming. A variety of partnerships are developing nationwide and world-wide, including:

• The “CableWiFi” network identifier (SSID) allows devices to auto-connect to a “CableWiFi” hotspot when in range. Comcast alone will install eight million Xfinity WiFi hotspots by the end of the year available in public locations across the country, from shopping centers, commuter stations, parks and sporting venues. Xfinity Homes will now contain two SSIDs, enabling consumer cable WiFi boxes to “share” their WiFi, helping the MSOs compete with mobile carriers.
  
• Facebook Wi-Fi is a partnership between Cisco and Facebook that allows Wi-Fi users to log into access points, using Facebook credentials. Facebook said it had 819 million monthly mobile users (73%) out of its total 1.15 billion users in Q2 2013. It’s primarily driven by advertising revenue.
  
• Europe’s Fon WiFi community. Uses a $59 Fonera WiFi router. Fon claims to have the largest Wi-Fi network in the world, with over eight million hotspots as at July 2013.
  
• Boingo launched “Passpoint Secure” networks at more than 20 airports throughout the United States using the Cisco Hotspot 2.0 network. Cisco, AT&T and Accuris partnered to bring a Hotspot 2.0 network to MWC 2014 this year.
  
• iPass has launched a cloud-based Business Traveler Service 2.0, marking iPass’ transformation into a cloud company utilizing a Software-as-a-Service delivery model, coupled with an app based approach. The service is available at 3,000 airports, 22 airlines, hotels and public areas worldwide. A single log-in enables users to obtain automatic access and authentication on smartphones, tablets and laptops in over 120 countries.
  
• Google is considering deploying Wi-Fi networks in cities covered by Google Fiber. The disclosure is made in a document Google is circulating to 34 cities that are the next candidates to receive Google Fiber in 2015.
  
• Google is apparently planning to offer subsidized, commercial-grade Wi-Fi hardware to small and medium-sized businesses, reports TechCrunch, including doctors’ offices, restaurants, and gyms. A Hotspot 2.0 feature would streamline signing in. The hardware would be the only cost involved, and use the businesses’ existing Internet connections, unlike the Google-provided Wi-Fi networks running at Starbucks.
  
• Cloud4Wi released a new software development kit (SDK) to enable third-party developers to design apps for its Wi-Fi marketplace platform, to deliver greater network value to organizations with Wi-Fi. Cloud4Wi is launching the new SDK at Cisco Live, Cisco’s annual IT and communications conference, at Moscone Center in San Francisco this week.
  
• Ruckus Wireless has announced their virtual SmartCell Gateway (vSCG) as a followup to the Smart WiFi Access Management Service (SAMS) it unveiled last month for small and midsized businesses. It’s designed for mobile and cable network operators, managed service providers, and large enterprises that want to move their WLAN management to the cloud.
  

Google Fiber is Google’s “fiber-to-the-premises” project to install and provide residential broadband high-speed internet service to U.S. cities.

In February this year, Google announced its intention to further expand its fiber project and invited 34 cities, including San José along with Palo Alto, Mountain View, Sunnyvale, and Santa Clara, to participate.

Related articles on Dailywireless include; Google Fiber Going Wireless?, What’s inside Google’s Fiber Huts?, Google Fiber Expands to More Cities, Google Fiber Launches in Kansas City , FCC Authorizes High Power at 5.15 – 5.25 GHz, Ad-Sponsored WiFi Initiatives from Gowex & Facebook, Comcast Creates Hotspot 2.0 National Network, FCC Moves to Add 195 MHz to Unlicensed 5 GHz band,